Oman Sail’s Optimist and ILCA Teams Prepare to Represent Oman at 2023 Pan Arab Games

Muscat: Seven sailors from Oman Sail’s youth sailing squad will join over 3,800 athletes from 18 countries at the 15th edition of the Pan Arab Games, being held in Algeria for the first time since 2004 from 5-15 July 2023.

Racing begins on 7 July with Omani sailors competing in Optimist, ILCA 4 and ILCA 7 classes under the guidance of coaches Sultan Al Balushi and Munther Al Kindi.

Competition will be held over 12 races in all classes at the Promenade Les Sablettes in Algiers following a practice day to acclimatise to the conditions.

Oman will also be providing two senior officials to the sailing event after the Union of Arab National Olympic Committees selected Abdulaziz Al Shidi to be a member of the Technical Committee team and Nawaf Al Ghadani to be part of the Jury Committee Team, which will also demonstrate Oman’s capabilities off the water.

On the sailing side, Oman will be represented by a talented group of sailors in various categories. In the Optimist class, Hassan Nasser Al Wahaibi, Tamim Suleiman Al Balushi, Feras Haitham Al Nabhani, and Soud Talib Al Shaqsi. For the ILCA 4 category, Abdullatif Zaid Al Qasmi and Hatem Mohsen Al Oreimy will be competing. Finally, Ahmed Hassan Al Balushi will represent Oman in the ILCA 7 class.

Ahmed Al Qasmi, National Team Manager, said, “The team has been taking part in a training camp at Ras Al Hadd since mid-June to prepare and will now travel to Algeria to represent Oman. We are confident in our abilities and look forward to competing alongside talented sailors from across the region. Our sailors have performed very well in recent championships and in training in all three of our classes at the Pan Arab Games and we are all very proud to represent the nation at such a high-profile event.”

ILCA 4 ad ILCA 7 National Team Coach, Munther Al Kindi, added, “We have selected seven of the top prospects in our youth squad for this championship and have supported them to take another step forward in their careers. This is a great opportunity to test their knowledge and technique against their peers from different nations and engage in high-level competition.

This is part of a busy season for our teams, and it will be a very valuable experience for everyone involved.” This will be the first staging of the Pan Arab Games since Doha 2011. There will be 20 sports featured, including three events for people with disabilities.

At the conclusion of the 2023 Pan Arab Games, the team will turn its attentions to preparing for the Oman Sailing Championship in Ras Al Hadd from 24-28 August 2023, and Mussanah Race Week at Barceló Mussanah Resort from 18-24 October 2023.